Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice - Post-Baccalaureate

Angela Ciuca, PhD, DNAP, CRNA, Division Director

The MUSC College of Health Professions Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Program (DNAP) is dedicated to producing competent, compassionate, and knowledgeable Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) who will meet the health care needs of society through clinical practice, education, and research.

Students are educated in all facets of nurse anesthesia practice throughout the perioperative period. The first 18 months are primarily simulation and didactic instruction that supports the students’ acquisition of basic and advanced anesthesia skills necessary for the safe administration of anesthesia. Students practice clinical skills using high-fidelity simulation. During the next 18 months, students are immersed in the clinical area where they administer anesthesia to all types of patients and in all types of practice settings. Students are evaluated on their ability to integrate didactic knowledge with clinical practice, demonstrate critical thinking skills, and provide appropriate interventions in patient management. The development and implementation of a scholarly project as well as courses in leadership, business, and health care policy are incorporated throughout the curriculum. Students are expected to demonstrate professional advocacy through attendance at state and national meetings.

Through our variety of clinical sites, DNAP students have opportunities to administer anesthesia to complicated pediatric and adult patients in a large teaching hospital and to patients of all ages in community hospitals and rural independent CRNA practices. Students obtain extensive hands-on clinical experiences in administering all types of regional anesthesia utilizing the latest in ultrasound technology. Students are instructed on the current use of point of care ultrasound (POCUS) to diagnose and manage perioperative patients.

The DNAP program offers a diverse selection of course work from managing change in healthcare to crisis simulation in anesthesia.

The objectives of the post-baccalaureate DNAP program are to:

• Expand the clinical education of students who will become CRNAs with the addition of increased clinical education hours, instruction in advanced technology, and high-fidelity crisis simulation.
• Prepare CRNAs to provide a clinical practice that is founded on the basis of evidence, research, and outcomes.
• Produce CRNAs who have the education and skills to assume leadership roles in healthcare.

Accreditation

The Medical University of South Carolina Anesthesia for Nurses Program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA), 10275 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 906, Rosemont, IL 60018-5603 (224) 275-9130. The program's next review by the COA is scheduled for May 2030. Additional information regarding the COA can be found at https://www.coacrna.org/Pages/default.aspx.

Curriculum

Year 1, Summer A, Header (5/1/25-8/14/25)

AFN820	Information Systems	3
AFN823	Research Methods for Nurse Anest	3
AFN815	Prof Issues Seminar	1
AFN817	Chemistry and Physics of Anest	2
AFN811	Princ of Evidence-Based Prac	3
Semester Total		12

Year 1, Fall A (8/18/25-12/19/25)

AFN819	Human Anatomy for Nurse Anes	5
AFN821	Adv Health and Phys Assessment	3
AFN800	DNAP Seminar I	2
AFN825	Adv Physiology and Pathophys	5
Semester Total		15

Year 1, Spring (1/5/26-5/1/26)

AFN871	Managing Change in Healthcare	3
AFN826	Anesthesia Principles I	3
AFN831	Clinical Simulation I	2
AFN802	DNAP Seminar II	2
AFN861	Foundations in Leadership	3
AFN835	Advanced Pharmacology I	3
Semester Total		16

Year 2, Summer A, Header (5/1/25-8/14/25)

AFN832	Clinical Simulation II	2
AFN805	Teaching and Learning	2
AFN836	Advanced Pharmacology II	4
AFN828	Anesthesia Principles II	5
Semester Total		13

Year 2, Fall A (8/18/25-12/19/25)

AFN830	Anesthesia Principles III	3
AFN841	Anesthesia Practicum I	5
AFN803	DNAP Seminar III	2
AFN833	Clinical Simulation III	1
Semester Total		11

Year 2, Spring (1/5/26-5/1/26)

AFN842	Anesthesia Practicum II	10
AFN806	Foundations in Healthcare Policy	3
Semester Total		13

Year 3, Summer A, Header (5/1/25-8/14/25)

AFN809	Management Prin for Nurse Anes Prac	3
AFN843	Anesthesia Practicum III	10
Semester Total		13

Year 3, Fall A (8/18/25-12/19/25)

AFN844	Anesthesia Practicum IV	10
AFN807	Principles of Pain Management	2
AFN813	Clin Sim in Crisis Management	1
Semester Total		13

Year 3, Spring (1/5/26-5/1/26)

AFN845	Anesthesia Practicum V	10
AFN804	DNAP Seminar IV	2
Semester Total		12

Curriculum Total

118

Detailed information on clinical sites can be found on the Anesthesia for Nurses page.